Our Story

When our co-founder Karan Bahadur Singh's father fell ill with pneumonia, he left Oda for the city in search of treatment. There, he discovered that the treatment he needed was beyond what he could afford. Determined to earn the money that might save his life, he set out for India in search of work - but he died before he ever received the treatment he needed. At fourteen, Karan followed that same road to India, selling his mother's silver bangle to pay for the journey. He worked as a dishwasher, sleeping beneath a restaurant sink at night, and slowly worked his way up, from dishwasher to rafting guide, and eventually manager of an entire rafting company. Yet no matter how far he went, Oda remained home. Every year, he returned carrying medicines and school supplies for the village that had raised him.

In 2013, Karan met John Christopher, who was volunteering in Nepal. Together, they traveled to Oda, where John was welcomed into homes across the village, sharing meals and stories with local families. During his visit, he fell ill and experienced firsthand what the community had lived with for generations: when someone needed healthcare, there simply wasn't any. For Karan, this reality had shaped his childhood. For John, it became a lifelong commitment.

Together with the community, they transformed Karan's mother's cowshed into Oda's first medical clinic. In 2016, local families, including Karan's own donated land to build a permanent hospital. Today, it operates 24 hours a day, providing essential healthcare and a birthing center for thousands of people across the region.

But healthcare alone could not transform a community.

Healthy children still needed quality education. Families needed sustainable livelihoods. Women, despite being at the heart of their communities, still faced barriers to economic opportunity and decision-making. As Oda Foundation Nepal grew alongside the community, it became clear that these challenges were deeply connected - and that lasting change meant addressing them together.

The Foundation expanded from healthcare into education, revitalizing schools across Mahawai Rural Municipality. From there, our work grew to include agroecology, strengthening food security and sustainable farming, and women's economic empowerment, helping women build livelihoods, strengthen their voices, and lead change within their families and communities.

Today, Oda Foundation Nepal takes a holistic approach to community development. Our programmes are designed not as separate projects, but as interconnected pathways that improve health, education, economic opportunity, and gender equality together.

Thirteen years after a small clinic opened inside a cowshed, Oda Foundation Nepal has grown into one of Kalikot's leading locally led organizations. More than 95% of our team comes from the communities we serve because we believe lasting change is built by local people, not delivered to them.

What began with one family's loss has become a community-led movement rooted in a simple belief: when communities have access to healthcare, education, economic opportunity, and the power to shape their own future, they become the leaders of their own change.